"No, I don't think it was one of our cadets," said Ned Lowe. "I think it was a stranger. But what he was doing around here at this time of night is a mystery to me."

"Maybe he was a tramp, and thought he could get a chance to steal something," ventured the fun-loving Rover, sobering down.

"Maybe. I guess you had better keep your eyes wide open," said Ned Lowe, and then turned away and left Randy alone on the post.

CHAPTER XXI

STRANGE NOISES

Left to himself Randy tramped up and down slowly along the post a.s.signed to him. The distance was several hundred feet, and at either end he met another guard. One of these was Codfish, and it must be admitted that the sneak of Colby Hall was thoroughly scared.

"I don't like this at all," Codfish declared, when he and Randy met.

"There's a terrible wind sighing through those trees."

"Have you seen anybody?" questioned Randy.

"I thought I did, but I'm not sure whether it was some person or an animal."

"When was that?"

"Nearly an hour ago."

"Maybe it was the same person Ned Lowe thought he saw," went on Randy.

"He called out, but n.o.body answered."

"If I see anybody again, I'll shoot off my gun and call the corporal,"

announced Codfish.

His whole manner showed that he was much disturbed. His post was along the edge of the wood beyond where Randy was stationed, but the latter saw that the sneak never walked very close to the trees and brushwood.

The time dragged heavily, and Randy heaved a sigh when he looked at his watch and found that it was only one o'clock.

The young cadet, as was the custom with many of the lads, had supplied himself with a thin cake of sweet chocolate, and to help pa.s.s the time he munched on bits of this. Then it commenced to rain, the scattering drops making quite a noise on the trees and fallen leaves.

Fortunately Randy had brought his raincoat with him. It hung on a bush about midway between the ends of his post, and, turning, he hurried to get the garment. He was just in time to see a figure sliding away between the bushes. This figure had confiscated the raincoat only a few seconds before.

"Come back here!" yelled Randy, in justifiable anger. "Come back, I say, or I'll fire at you!"

"Fire, and be hanged!" came in a somewhat familiar voice. Evidently the speaker knew that Randy's rifle contained only blank cartridges.

Randy's blood was up, for he felt certain the raincoat had been taken by one of his fellow cadets, probably Werner or Glutts. Leaping forward, he cleared some low bushes at a bound, and then made after the figure skulking along among the trees.

"Drop that raincoat or I'll crack you on the head with my gun!" he roared, as he drew closer to the fleeing fellow.

"Keep back, or it will be the worse for you, Randy Rover!" cried the other cadet, and now Randy recognized the voice of Gabe Werner quite distinctly.

The fun-loving Rover did not reply to Werner. Instead he hurried on faster than ever, coming so close presently that he was able to reach the ex-lieutenant with his gun. He swung the weapon by the barrel, and the stock caught Werner a severe blow on his right shoulder.

"Ouch!" yelled the big cadet, and his right arm dropped to his side and the raincoat slipped to the ground.

"You're a fine rascal to steal my raincoat," remonstrated Randy, raising his gun as if to give the ex-lieutenant another blow.

"Aw! can't you take a joke? You Rovers didn't think anything of smashing my flashlight."

"You did that yourself, throwing it against your tent pole," answered Randy.

"Huh! who told you that?"

"Never mind who told me--I know it's the truth. Now, after this, Gabe Werner, you leave my things alone!"

"Bah! don't talk to me, Randy Rover. If it wasn't that you have nearly broken my right shoulder, I'd give you the licking you deserve."

"And for two pins, Gabe Werner, I'd report you for being absent from camp without leave," retorted Randy. "Now you get back to your tent just as fast as you can."

"Rats! don't you talk to me," growled the ex-lieutenant. Nevertheless, he turned and walked through the woods toward the encampment, and then lost no time in hurrying to his tent.

Randy slipped on his raincoat, and then resumed his duty as a sentinel. Back and forth he tramped, occasionally exchanging a word or two with Codfish or with the guard at the other end of his post. Thus two hours more dragged by. For half of that time it rained steadily, and if his feet did not get wet, they at least got very damp. Then, however, the shower pa.s.sed on, and presently the morning stars shone forth.

Randy was watching for the first streaks of the coming dawn and congratulating himself that his lonely vigil would soon come to an end, when an unusual sound broke upon his ears. From a distance came a curious clank! clank! followed by another sound that seemed to be the rattle of several chains.

"h.e.l.lo! where does that come from?" he asked himself. "Somebody must be getting to work pretty early in the morning."

The noises kept up for a minute or two, and then abruptly ceased. The young cadet listened for quite a while, and then resumed his tramp.

But a little later the strange clanking and rattle of chains was continued, and once more he halted, trying to locate the direction of the sounds.

"Must come from somewhere in the woods," he reasoned, and he thought this rather strange, for he was of the opinion that this portion of the forest was entirely uninhabited.

Several times after that he heard the strange clanking, and every time it was followed by a rattle as of chains. Then came a sharp tapping, as of a hammer on steel, and with this a curious humming sound, as if some big blowing machine was in action.

"Maybe it's an airship, or something like that," he said to himself.

"That humming sound may be the propellers going around. Maybe they had an accident and had to come down for repairs."

It lacked ten minutes of the time for the new sentry to go on duty when Randy, who had come to a halt to learn if the curious clanking was still taking place in the woods, saw a movement behind some trees at a distance.

"Must be either an animal or a man," he said to himself.

With strained eyes he watched the location, and presently saw two slouch hats moving behind the top of some brushwood. Then for a brief instant he caught sight of the forms of two men as they disappeared in the distance.

"I wonder if those were the two men who were making all that noise?"

he mused.

At such a distance it had been impossible for him to note anything of the features of the men. Both wore dark clothing and dark slouch hats, but beyond that he made out nothing concerning them.

When the corporal of the guard came along to change the detail, Randy said nothing about the attempt of Gabe Werner to deprive him of his raincoat, but he did mention the sounds he had heard in the woods, and also the appearance of the two men.